Joseph hoffman



ATENT `iuiicn.

JOSEPH HOFFBLXN, OF NEW YORK, N.

Y., nssioivon ToI ousrnvus A. GOLD SMITH, OF SAME l PLACE.

PENC'H..

SPECIFIQATIOE forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,398, dated Eecember 1. 188:3.

Application ined .my en', lees'.

Serial No. 172,107. (No model.)

To @ZZ 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, .lossen HOFFMAN, .a eitizen of ille United States, und e resident of New York city, in, the county of New .York

and Stute of'- New York, have invented e cern .tain new und useful improved Pencil, of which the following is :i specification.

'My invention relates to en improvement in pencils of the class known as drop lead-pen- Io cils, endit'eonsistsinutuhulur cuseorhundle inelosing s longitudizinlly-niovable tube which is operated inv one direction bypressure ou its end externally ofethc euse or handle and in the 0th er by n spring preferably located within the case or handle, and another tube or -rod which carries the lend' holding device, und which is placed within theflgugtlldinelL/- niovuble tithe. The? longiti'idinully-movuble tube by its movement uetuates d pnwl, which zo' engages-With notches or shoulders formed in or on the lead-bearing tube or rod,whereby it is held in its projected und retraetedposition,

the projection und retraction being effected by the 'action of gruvityupon releasing the puwl. In the dmwiugslilie letters indioate'like ports in all the figures.

Figure l illustrates u longitudinal section of my pencil taken through the puwl. Fig. 2 illustrates n longitudinal section of the tube placed within the outer cose or handle to which thepou'l is preferably attached. Fig. 3 illustrates u longitudinal section of the longitudinallyniovsble tube which netuutes the pswl.

Fig. 4 illustrntes the puwl .3 detached. Fig. 3 5 5 illustrutesthc coller M detached.

A is the outer ense or handle. It muy be iliade of wood, ruhber, peper, celluloilh'nletnl, or any other suitable materiel. Itis tubular in form. llithin this handle is placed e tube, 4o B. it is rigidly uti-ached to the bundle. The tube B is preferably provided with o. tip, C, at its rem' end, )rovided ivith s shoulder, c.' This tip finishes and ornements the rear end of the pencil, and also acts as e guide to the 4 5 cap of the longitudinslly-movablc tube,here imiter described. The tube B has a slotglleut in i "s rear perdenti another short slot, located its reni' end. it has also n bearing or g5; v.goint, E, for the porvi Sforined upon 'it' Y attached tothe hnndle of thepencil.

'adjacent to au opening, e, formed in the tube 5o through which the pawl passes. The reel' end` of the slot D terminates in ashoulder, F. The front end of the pencil-handle is provided With another tip, G, which finishes and orne.- inents this end thereof. The tip G is rigidly H is the longitudinallymovable tube. It is provided with s cap, I, al; its rear end, which is adapted to slide easily 'Within the rear tip, C. In iroutof the cup the tube is reduced to the form of a. spindle, (seen at K,) ubout which is coiled n spiral spring, L. Anysuitable forni ol' spring muy be employed instead of a spiral spring, Aund it may be located Wherever desired,provided its actiony on the parts is practically the M is n coller or Washer, which sots os an abutment or shoulder for one end ofthe spring L. The other endtakes against-thecap I. The eollaiuM is rigidly attached to or. formed on the tube B; or if this tube ,is not used, (see post,) then on the handle Aitself. The tube His slotted at N, and hase stop, G, formed upon it, which enters the short slot d, formed in the tube B. Neer the .Front end ofthe tube H is formed s short sich?, the front shoulder or end of which is preferably out onen incline, as seen atp, Fig. 3. The rear shoulder or end of this slot muyv also be cut on un incline, if preferred; as shown, its notion on the pmvl s better and the durability of the parts is son1ewhat enhanced if so formed.

Q, is a tube or rod, preferably of metal to the front end of which is attached the leadholding device X, which muy be an ordinary propeller-pencil, as shown in the drawings, or an artists pencil, so celled, -or any other suitable device for holding the lend. At R R', l form notches in o1' their 'equivalent shoulders on the rod or tube Q, which are adapted to receivethe end vof the pewl S. If desired, these may be made cireuinierentially of the rodor tubeiQ. This pewl is pivotedtothe tube B atE and passes through the slot P, `formed, in the longitudinally-movable tube H, und at proper times it engages with the notches er shouldersR it', formed on the tube or rod Q. The tube Q has also preferably at or near its rear end a stop, T, which plays through the slots D and N, formed in the tubes B and'tlf, res} cctively, these slots being coincident. This stop' T determines the movement of the rod or tube Q, and also prevents it from turning, which is necessary ifa propeller or other lilac pencil be used as the lead-holding device.

The length of the slots D d and N, und the iocation of the stops U and T, and the distance of separation of the notches or shoulders 'R R on the Vdrop tubeor rodQ are all preferably so adjusted relative to each other thatA the longitudinallymovable tube ll will operate the pawl, lifting it from both of the notches or shoulders R and R without giving motion to the tube or rod Q.

The operation is as follows,assumiug theleadholding device to be projected, as shown in Fig. l, and held there by the pawl S engaging with the notch lt-to wit, the pawl being y pressed into the notchv bythe spring' L, which `tract the lead, press upon the cap l.

presses the inclined end p of the slotPagainst the upper side or edge 'of the pawl. To re- The spring will be compressed, the tube H shoved forward until the stop O brings up againstthc front end of the slot d, and the rear end or shoulder of the slot l? will lift the pawl S out ofthe notchV R. The pencil being then held point up, gravity will cause the tube or rod Q, and the lead-holding device attached to it to drop within the handle until the stop T brings up against the shoulder F of the slot Din the tube ll. Then upon relieving the pressure on the cap I the spring L wilL move the tube H rearwardly, and the inclined forward end of the slot 1)(seen at p) will again impinge upon the upper side or edge of the pawl S and force it into the notch, or behind the shoulder R, and thus lock the tube or rod Q, and the leadl in their retracted position within the handle.- To project the lead, the operation is simply reversed Ifthe spring L be stiffenough, it will hold the rod or tube Q andthe lead in their retracted position without requiring the forward notch, R. It will be obvious that if preferred the tube B may be dispensed with, the pawl S then being attached directly to the inside of the handle A, and suitable shoulders to act on the stop T, taking the place of the ends of the slots D and d, being formed on the inside of the handle, and suitable tips, C and G, and shoulder or collar M being formed on or attached to the handle A; but for many reasons the tube B is preferable, and particularly on the score of economyin manufacture and perfection of operation of the completed pencil; also, the pawl S may be attached to and travel with the longitudinally-movable tube H, and be lifted out of the notchesR R by contact with suitably-located pins or their 'equivalent on the handle A, but for 'the reasons above given and others I prefer the stationary pawl; also, the pawl, instead of being a dead-pawl operated entirely by the action of the ends ofthe slot P against it, may be ja spring-pawl, either made independently and soldered or' otherwise attached to the tube; or it may be cut out of the body of the tube itself, and thus, being a spring-pand, it will normally tend to enter the notches R and R independent ofthe action of the spring L-,and the front inclined end ofthe slot l (seen at p) muy be dispensed with.

The front side ot' the notches lt', against which the pawl S bears, may be incl. ned back- Awardly, so 'that the pressure of the pawl against it willitend to move the tube or rod Q forward, thus pressing the stop T against So the forward end of the slot Dfw/'hereby the lead will be held more immovably.

.it will be observed that my pencil embodies many improvements upon the pencils of this class, among which are great simplicity in construction, the parts being produced by mechanical operations very easily and exactly effected; also, there arc no jaws or clamping devices which impingc on the lead itself,- which, as in the automatic7 pencils, so called, bite the lead, and frequent-ly break it; also7 there are no rough jaw-points, as in the said .automatic pencils, projecting beyond the end of the pencil whenthe lead is retracted, which scratch the hands of the user, and also injure the clothing; also, the lead is held positively in its projected. position. p

' Ide not limitmyseli to the details of construction shown, since they may be considerably varied and still my inventionx be employed.

'It will be evident to any one familiar with this art that instead of the lead or crayon tube or rod other compact utensils-such as a knife-blade, a button-hook, tooth-pick, 85.0.- niay be employed, the shank or tang of such utensils being constructed and employed in the combination, substantially as the rod or tube for holding the lead or crayon is constructed and employed therein.

AHaving described my invention, I claiml. The combination, ina pencil, of an eX- ternal case, A,an internal rigid tube,B,bearing a pivoted pawl, and a longitudinally-movable tube, H, provided with a cap, l, externally ofthe case or handle of the pencil, and also provided with a spring, L, the said longitudinally-movable tube engaging with the pawl, whereby the pawl is actedon bythe spring automatically to dog a lead-bearing tube or rod, Q, placed within the longitudinally-movable tube, substantially set forth; l Y -Y 2. The combination, in apencihof the leadbearing rod or tube Q, the longitudinallyas`and for the purposes -movable tube H, providedv with a cap, I, a Y

spring, L, and slot P, and a 'pivoted p'awl, S, the free end Whereofpasses through the slot P in the longitudinally-movable tube H, and into the'path ofthe lead-bearing tube orrod,

IOO

IIO

and engages with shoulders on the same to hold itin a projected and retracted position, all

'being combined and operating substantially as and for the purposes. set forth.

3. The combination, in a pencil, of'acase or 1 lead-holder, and provided with noehes` or handle, A, a tube B, rigidly attached to the l Shouldersland Randstop'1*,nlleornhinedand inside of the hand-le, a pawl, S, pivoted to the operating substantially tube B, and extenlling inwardly toward the poses set foi'tli, central line of the pencil, a longitudinally- I Signed at New Yorlc, in the county of New movable tube, H, provided with cap l, Spring. York and State 'of 1nlew York, this 18th day of L, shoulder M, and slot P, through which the July, A. D; i885.v 5 free end ofthe paw] S passesfthe slots/"D and 1 1 1. Y, ,T'

d, formed in the rigid mbe B, the Sion N, l JOSEPH HOfFf A5"- formed in thelongitudinally'movable tube H, "Witnesses: f

the stop O, formed on the longituflnallymov- JOHN H. Ives,

able tubeH, and the roflv or tube Q, bearing a J CHN J. GAULDWELL.-

as and for the pur- 15 

